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Shivaji Park
Shivaji Park (Marathi: शिवाजी पार्क) is the largest park in Mumbai. It is situated in the Dadar area of Mumbai. Like the Azad Maidan and August Kranti Maidan (formerly Gowalia Tank Grounds) , it is of historical and cultural value because of the political and social gatherings it has witnessed, both in pre- and post-independence Mumbai. The ground is flanked around its edge by a katta, which is a popular hangout for young and old alike. The walkway around the perimeter is crowded with people taking walks. The inner circumference of the park is 1.17 kilometres (0.73 mi). 112,937 square metres (27.907 acres) in area, the ground is busy with young cricket players. Various attractions are spread over the grounds, including the Samarth Vyayam Mandir(gymnasium), Shivaji Park Nagarik Sangh (established in 1947), Shivaji Park Gymkhana (club), Children's Park, Nana-Nani Park (Grandpa and Grandma park), Scout's Pavilion (which is a popular venue for marriages), Udhyan Ganesh Mandir (Ganesh temple), The Bengal Club with a small Kali shrine and a library. The walkway is lined with huge rain trees. The most prominent entrance to the park is the one on the east side, intended only for pedestrians. A bust of Meenatai Thackeray, late wife of Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray, has been placed at this entrance. Previously a bust of Ram Ganesh Gadkari was present at the same spot. Bal Thackeray himself was cremated here. Shivaji Park is the largest park in Mumbai. It is situated in the Dadar area of Mumbai. Like the Azad Maidan and August Kranti Maidan (formerly Gowalia Tank Grounds), it is of historical and cultural value because of the political and social gatherings it has witnessed, both in pre- and post-independence Mumbai. The park is named after the legendary 17th century warrior king of the region, Chhatrapati Shivaji. The park was created in 1925 by the Bombay Municipal Corporation, in the days of the British Raj. Through the name, the British authorities acknowledged Shivaji and the reverence his name commanded amongst the local Marathi population. Shivaji had foreseen the ulterior motives of the British East India Company and challenged the growing British presence in India. The grand statue of Shivaji in the park is one of the very few statues in which Shivaji is depicted without having drawn out his sword. Instead, Shivaji is shown simply leading the way with his arm outstretched. Created in 1966 using donations from the local population, the statue is a rare example of the pacifist policies of the then state government of Maharashtra. It was considered a sensitive issue by the government to let this statue depict the usual confrontational posture of Shivaji, who had fought many battles against the Mughal Empire. The ground is flanked around its edge by a katta, which is a popular hangout for young and old Mumbaikars alike. On a typical weekend evening it is difficult to get a place to sit on the katta. Various attractions are spread over the grounds, including the Samarth Vyayam Mandir (gymnasium), Shivaji Park Nagarik Sangh (established in 1947), Shivaji Park Gymkhana (club), Children’s Park, Nana-Nani Park (Grandpa and Grandma park), Scout’s Pavilion (which is a popular venue for marriages), Udhyan Ganesh Mandir (Ganesh temple), The Bengal Club and a library. The walkway is lined with huge rain trees.Shivaji Park is famous amongst cricket players. The most prominent entrance to the park is the one on the east side, intended only for pedestrians. A bust of Meenatai Thackeray, late wife of Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray, has been placed at this entrance. Previously a bust of Ram Ganesh Gadkari was present at the same spot. The park is named after the legendary 17th century warrior king of the region, Chhatrapati Shivaji. The park was created in 1925 by the Bombay Municipal Corporation, in the days of the British Raj. Through the name, the British authorities acknowledged Shivaji and the reverence his name commanded amongst the local Marathi population. Besides being a venue for gatherings of freedom fighters in British India, after independence in 1947 Shivaji Park was the focal point of the Samyukta Maharashtra Chalval (the struggle for a consolidated Maharashtra) that led to the present Maharashtra state being formed in 1960. During this period, the legendary writer, journalist, playwright, poet and social leader Acharya Prahlad Keshav Atre led this movement, addressing crowds of lakhs at this ground, earning him the title of "Lord of Shivaji Park". On India's victory over Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, then prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and defence minister Yashwantrao Chavan addressed a''Vijaysabha'' (victory gathering) here. Shivaji Park has been integral to the political gatherings of the local party Shiv Sena, and has witnessed numerous other political rallies. The grand statue of Shivaji in the park is one of the very few statues in which Shivaji is depicted without having drawn out his sword. Instead, Shivaji is shown simply leading the way with his arm outstretched. Created in 1966 using donations from the local population, the statue is a rare example of the pacifist policies of the then state government of Maharashtra. It was considered a sensitive issue by the government to let this statue depict the usual confrontational posture of Shivaji, who had fought many battles against the Mughal Empire. Shivaji Park is seen as the cradle of Indian cricket, with its innumerable cricket academies like those of the late Anna Vaidya and Ramakant Acharekar, which produced several international cricketers for India. Some famous names who trained here are Eknath Solkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Sandeep Patil, Sachin Tendulkar, Ajit Agarkar, Pravin Amre, Vinod Kambli and Sanjay Manjrekar. Cricket may be the reason Shivaji Park is famous for, but few of the city's budding talent practice their football here including teams like Adarsh FC, Dadar XI,Dias united Sports Club, Kenkre, R D united, BEARS FC, VAKYPPS FC etc. Category:Grounds